


Cinder

by Duvainthel



Category: Cinderella (2015), Cinderella (Fairy Tale), Cinderella - All Media Types, Supernatural
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:47:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24579307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duvainthel/pseuds/Duvainthel
Summary: A destiel fic inspired by Cinderella.Just an idea that popped in my head after watching Cinderella recently.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Kudos: 9





	Cinder

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,
> 
> I hope you en enjoy en let me know what you think. It's a WIP right now so if you have some suggestions I'm happy to hear them.
> 
> I want to thank my wonderful beta as well for helping me.  
> [banshee1013](https://archiveofourown.org/users/banshee1013/pseuds/banshee1013)  
> If you're a writer in search of an awesome supportgroup;  
> Or someone that's dying to help other writers out and Beta for them;  
> Or you just want to chat about SPN & Destiel;  
> This is the discord for you:  
> [ProfoundBond](https://discord.gg/profoundbond)
> 
> Let me know what you think, hearing from you guy's always makes my day!
> 
> Love,  
> D.

Once upon a time in a far-off world, the plains of humanity were watched over by angels. They kept their distance most of the time, only taking interest in the brightest of souls. When a soul caught their interest, they would help it out from time to time. A gentle nudge in the direction of happiness.  
Sadly, bright souls became rarer by the years, kindness and selflessness making way for pride and greed.  
It had been years since a specific soul drew the angels’ attention. In Lawrence, a small kingdom by the coast, such a soul was suddenly born. It shone brighter than the angels had ever seen and naturally attracted a lot of attention. The owner of this soul was a green-eyed boy, born into a royal family.  
This fact inspired hope in the angels; being in such a position, this boy could inspire more souls to shine just as bright.  
So naturally when a second bright soul was born into the very same kingdom, the angels were happy, but not as interested, as this blue-eyed boy was born into a merchant family.  
The second boy drew some attention for a while, but this soon faded. The first boy would prove to be far more influential, so the angels were more invested in him. 

But there was an angel, different from the others, who kept an eye out for the second boy as much as they could. This gave the boy a happy childhood filled with laughter. But this angel had other duties that soon pulled him away and so, sadly, tragedy and misfortune seeped into the blue-eyed boy’s life.  
The first was losing his mother. When the father remarried, it was to a woman ruled by pride and greed. Her sons from another marriage, ruled by it as well due to her influence. The stepmother and her sons never treated the boy right, especially when his father was away.  
The blue-eyed boy had grown up to never shy away from kindness and selflessness. So he always helped the household staff with their daily tasks. He quite enjoyed it even.  
This quality was of course abused by the stepmother and her sons when the father wasn’t home. Giving degrading tasks to the boy, that were well below his status. Everything to make them feel above the boy who was the rightful heir to the estate.  
The stepmother whispered things in her new husband’s ear to convince him to make her sons the heirs. But the father loved his son dearly and stayed loyal. And the boy never broke, taking everything in stride and with a smile, which infuriated the stepmother to no end.  
And then the father died.  
The stepmother easily took control of the estate since the boy knew nothing of heritage. With no income, she fired the household staff and the young boy became a servant in his own home.  
The stepmother and her sons took everything of value from him and banned him to the attic.  
The attic was cold in the winter and the boy slept by the dying embers during this season, the cinders clinging to him when he woke up. The last thing they stole was his name, calling him after the soot staining his clothes and face. Cinder. 

-§- 

Consciousness slowly chased a marvellous dream away. It was filled with light, joy, laughter and family, and Cinder kept his eyes shut wishing he could remain asleep a bit longer. While the last tendrils of the dream slipped away as sand through open fingers, he slowly became aware of his surroundings.  
The warm glow of the fireplace in front of him had disappeared. The cold hard floor was softened by a pillow and blanket he had snatched when his stepfamily had been away on a day trip.  
The rooster announced the sunrise and he knew he had to wake for a new day. Cinder opened his eyes, being met with a fireplace filled with grey ash and not one ember still alive.  
With a sigh his eyes roamed the familiar cobblestone kitchen, the wooden workstation as clean as he had left it yesterday. This kitchen used to echo with laughter, much like in the dream that had slipped away. Now the only sounds that filled it was Cinder working and his occasional humming.  
The rooster made himself known a second time and Cinder slowly rose from his place in front of the fireplace. The sun shone through the window, making the dust glimmer around him. Cinder hid the pillow and blanket away in the supply closet behind the bags of flour. They made the cold stone floor a bit more comfortable and he didn’t want them to be discovered and taken away. He then walked towards the basin and washed his face with the cold water.  
Ever since that one day, when he had slept in front of the dying fire for the first time, unaware of the soot on his face, he had always washed up. But the nickname Lucifer had given him with a malicious glare had stuck. Even if he was never seen with soot on his face again, he had become Cinder.  
The name had stuck for years now and to his horror there were days where he woke up and couldn’t remember his given name.  
It was mostly because of the sleepiness. When the fear shook him completely awake, he always remembered it, but those few seconds felt like standing at the edge of a ravine and falling off.  
Cinder stared at his own reflexion in the water. Eyes blue as the sky reflected there, standing out starkly against his pale skin and midnight black hair. His cheeks were slightly hollow, but it was masked by the stubble of his growing beard. They only let him shave when they expected guests or when he had to go into town with them to carry their purchases.  
Cinder hummed to himself while preparing breakfast for his stepmother and stepbrothers. While it was on the stove, he stepped out and fed the animals.  
The sun and a blue sky promised a beautiful day and Cinder grinned with joy.  
When the animals were fed and the chicken eggs fetched, Cinder entered his home again to finish up the breakfast. 

When all the preparations were done and the breakfast was served, Cinder climbed the white oak stairs to wake his stepfamily. His stomach filled with dread; it wasn’t exactly his favourite part of the day.  
Cinder quietly entered the master bedroom and gently opened up the curtains to let the sunlight in. He had been virtually soundless while walking for a while now. The soles of his shoes were almost completely rubbed off. He hadn’t received any new clothing or shoes since the day his father died.  
Daylight filled the room that was once his parents, bringing life to the light blue colour of the walls. The light fell on the bed where the currently still form of his stepmother lay. The only visible part being the deep brown hair, streaked with grey and bound in a hairnet. The light would usually be enough to wake his stepmother and he exited the room as quietly as he had entered it.  
The next room he entered had been his room in the old days, the walls still a soft peach colour of a sunrise. Now however, it was the room of Lucifer. The stepbrother he hated waking.  
Cinder did his best to be soundless as he moved to the curtains to let the daylight in. Praying that for once his stepbrother would not wake immediately.  
Cinder grabbed the heavy fabric of the curtains and opened them softly but alas a hand gripped his arm painfully.  
His stepbrother was awake.  
“Cinder, didn’t I tell you to be quiet in the morning?” A voice hissed in his ear, making Cinder’s skin crawl. Fingers bore deeper in his flesh and Cinder whimpered as it was on the exact same location as yesterday and the day before that. The bruises never fading.  
“I’m sorry,” Cinder replied softly.  
“Keep it in mind for tomorrow.” The hand yanked at his arm and Cinder lost his footing, falling painfully to the ground. Like every morning.  
Cinder kept his eyes to the floor as he slowly rose again and exited the room as quickly as possible. With his heart still beating in his ears, he entered the final bedroom, walls in a soft green colour.  
While his racing heart slowed, he pulled these curtains open as well and turned towards the bed. Grey eyes met his, slowly blinking to get the sleep out. His stepbrothers light brown hair standing in every direction as he sat up in the bed yawning. As Cinders stepbrothers were twins, Michael was an almost exact replica as Lucifer in his looks, though the edges in his face were softer than Lucifer’s. But that could be projecting since Michael was softer in character than his brother as well. Michael was by no means Cinder’s friend, laughing at him with his family and piling him with chores just like they do. But he was not unnecessarily cruel like Lucifer, and on occasion friendly. Only when they were alone though.  
“Good morning,” Michael muttered.  
“Good morning,” Cinder replied, already backing away and leaving the room. 

Once everyone was seated and the coffee poured, Cinder made himself scarce. Since the death of his father he wasn’t allowed at the table anymore, and had to eat what they left after he had cleaned the dishes. At first there had been nothing left, and there had been weeks Cinder barely ate anything. Slowly Cinder had increased the amount of food he prepared, just to be sure he could in fact eat. He was careful though, not wanting to be found out and be left with nothing again.  
He was almost out of the way when Naomi, his stepmother, called him back.  
“You look like a ruffian, shave and clean up. We’re going into town today.”  
Cinders heart fluttered. It had been weeks since he last went into town. It was his only escape from them, they mostly let him do the groceries on his own.  
“Yes, madam.”  
And only when he was alone on his way to shave, did he let a huge smile break through. It didn’t disappear until later, as he met them in front of the carriage. Carefully schooling it away again and trying to look sullen. Cinder had quickly learned to hide his happiness; when they noticed that something brought him joy, they quickly took it away. He had become quite proficient at hiding what made him happy.  
When they arrived in town, they split up; his stepfamily leaving to shop for clothes and Cinder walking to the market to get groceries.  
The market was filled with smells of spices, meat and sweets. It was bustling with people shopping and vendors shouting their specials and prices.  
Cinder smiled widely and took it all in. He loved how alive the market was, it made him feel like his old self again. Shopping with his mother, looking for new ingredients to surprise his father with a new dish.  
Sadly, after she died and father remarried, Naomi made Father hire a farmer to drop off the supplies for the cook. And when Father died, the farmer took pity on them, still dropping off the supplies and not charging extra for the delivery.  
Cinder only got to go to the market when the spices ran low or when they went shopping for new clothes and jewels.  
He mentally went over the things they were running low on in the kitchen and made sure to pass every stall so he wouldn’t forget anything. And to take his time, of course. 

After a while his arms were filled with packages and he just needed one more thing. He saw the stall that had the last ingredient across the road and turned to cross when someone bumped into him. Losing his bearings, the packages spilled from his arms onto the road, and he fell to the ground.  
“I’m so sorry.”  
But the words got drowned out by Cinders despair, as a carriage just passed the road. The horses and wheels crushing almost all his packages.  
All the blood drained from his face and panic threatened to seize his throat. Naomi always checked his money. And even if she didn’t, he didn’t have enough left to buy everything again. What was she going to do to him? Cinder shuddered at the thought of different punishments. The worst were when she let Lucifer decide.  
“... so sorry. Are you okay?”  
Sound came back to him and he looked up to the person who had bumped into him. He was met with the greenest eyes he had ever seen. They made him think of the forests surrounding his home. The gold flecks in them reminding him of how the sunlight would look through the leaves on a bright summer day.  
“You look really pale, are you okay?” The owner of those eyes asked, worry etched in his face. He had freckles on his cheeks, the colour of the Fall leaves, and a shadow of a beard across his strong jaw the same brown colour of his hair, styled to look messy.  
“You’re starting to worry me.”  
Cinder shook himself out of his momentary stupor caused by the vision in front of him and looked at the ruined groceries again, his stomach dropping.  
The man looked him over, stopping at his clothes and looking at the groceries with him.  
“Were those for your employer?”  
Cinder didn’t have the heart to correct the stranger and just nodded.  
“Well, it was my fault, I’ll buy them again for you.”  
This made Cinder turn in shock, raising his hand in an unspoken apology.  
“Oh no. I was being clumsy.”  
“Nonsense, I bumped into you and made you trip. It’s the right thing to do.”  
Cinder eyed the man again and saw that he was clothed modestly but the clothes were of great quality. This man came from a wealthy family but didn’t want it to show. And he was kind, not petty and prideful as his stepmother.  
“Come, tell me what was in them and we’ll buy it again,” with a smile while reaching out a hand. Cinder took it and the man helped him up.  
“My name is Dean,” he introduced himself.  
“Nice to meet you, Dean,” Cinder said with a smile.  
“Well, it will be nicer when I fix my mistake.” Dean smiled brightly at him. 

They walked back into the bustle of the market and true to his word, Dean bought everything Cinder pointed out that he had bought.  
“So, where are you from?” Dean asked between stalls.  
“I live in the house at the edge of town, surrounded by the forest.”  
“Oh, you’re from the Novak household. We were very sad to fear Chuck Novak had passed. My condolences.”  
Cinder felt a whirlwind of emotions pass through him. This man knew his family. He could know Naomi. He could be aware that Chuck had a son. He had offered his condolences. Cinder never really had the time to grieve his father.  
He had to swallow multiple times before he could reply.  
“Thank you, but I work for madam Novak and her two sons. I live there to make my tasks easier.” He didn’t want the kind man to know his grievances.  
“Didn’t she fire all the house staff? It caused quite an uproar in town.”  
Cinder’s heart beat faster and he hurried to reply.  
“She did, but they can’t do all the work so she kept me.” That wasn’t too far from the truth.  
Cinder quickly pointed at another item he had bought to distract him.  
“Do they treat you well? You looked terrified when you realized you lost your groceries,” Dean asked while paying the vendor.  
Cinder looked for an excuse, while Dean was turned away.  
“The grief of losing Chuck gave the family some sharp edges,” Cinder said diplomatically.  
“Understandably,” Dean muttered while turning back to face Cinder. His face showed he disagreed with his own muttered statement.  
“I hope the pay is well?”  
“I have a roof over my head, and I have food.” It slipped out before Cinder could stop himself. Dean looked horrified and Cinder wanted to run.  
“Why don’t you leave? I know some other families who would treat you right.”  
“I’ve been at the Novak house since before my parents died. It’s my home,” Cinder quickly said. Again, technically not a lie.  
Dean looked conflicted, but didn’t voice his opinion. He just examined Cinder until his eyes were fixed on something by his leg.  
“Oh, your clothes are torn.”  
Cinder looked down. He was right, there was a long rip in his pants. When he looked up, Dean was walking away and Cinder quickly followed him.  
“Where are you going?”  
“We’re going to a clothes shop, it’s my fault your clothes are ripped, I’ll buy you new ones.”  
Panic seized Cinder once more. How would Naomi react, seeing him in a clothes shop? How would she react if she saw he had something new?  
“No!” Cinder burst out.  
Dean stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Cinder again. They locked eyes.  
“Please, that’s not necessary. You’ve done enough,” Cinder pleaded.  
Dean frowned and after a moment he looked beyond him and gave a tiny nod. Cinder turned but there was no one there but the bustling market.  
“Okay, we won’t go to the clothes shop.” Dean agreed.  
Cinders shoulders sagged in relief and he smiled at Dean, who gave a stunning smile back. Cinders heart leapt in his chest.  
They finished up the groceries and discussed much safer topics after the clothes. 

When the groceries were finished Dean took his hand and pulled him along.  
“Come on, I want to show you something.”  
Cinder’s heart beat faster at the feeling of Dean’s hand in his and another smile broke through.  
Dean pulled him past the market to a small clearing just beyond the edge of the forest. There was a small pond along the edge of the clearing. The hidden spot was filled with flowers and bees humming about to take their fill. Cinder always loved the little creatures and took in the clearing in awe.  
“This is beautiful.”  
“Yeah, if you stay here all day and stay calm you might catch a deer passing through.” Dean said happily.  
“Amazing.” Dean put all the groceries down on the grass and Cinder followed his lead.  
They both sat down and took in the beauty calmly.  
“So, where are you from?” Cinder inquired softly.  
“Oh, I live at the edge of town, close to the river.”  
Cinder looked at him in awe, only high nobility lived so close to the castle. Dean was nothing like Cinder thought nobles would be like. He always imagined people even more prideful than his stepmother.  
“What’s the castle like?”  
“Wha... what?” Dean looked stricken. Cinder blushed, had he said something wrong?  
“Sorry, I just..., I mean, you live pretty close to it and I’ve never seen it up close.”  
At this Dean seemed to relax and he smiled at Cinder.  
“Oh, it’s wonderful. It’s really big, the structure is maintained regularly so the walls are still white as snow. The guards patrolling are nice people and the staff is kind,” Dean described in enthusiasm.  
Cinder smiled, imagining the picture Dean was painting. Dean examined him with a smile.  
“I can take you there.”  
“I...” Cinders words died on his lips as he saw the sun setting.  
“Oh, dear lord. I’m late. I’m so late.” Cinder briskly stood in panic. Dean looked fearful at Cinders reaction and rose quickly as well.  
“Let’s get you back then.” They quickly gathered the groceries and hurried back to where the coach his stepfamily had hired was waiting.  
Dean was silent during the whole trip and Cinder enjoyed being around someone friendly in silence. Today had been a dream and Cinder had loved every second of it.  
When the coach came into view relief washed over him. He had been late once and they had gone home without him. He had been forced to make the whole trip back on foot, with all the groceries in hand. When it was discovered he had lost one of the packages on the way, Lucifer had given him the punishment of no food all week, since it had been food he had lost.  
Dean slowed his walking and handed him the rest of the packages. Cinder was relieved Dean didn’t seem to want to walk all the way to the coach. He wasn’t quite ready to have his stepfamily chase him away, even if the chance of meeting him again was very slim.  
Dean hesitated in giving the last of the groceries and looked him in the eyes.  
“I know our meeting was a bit rocky, but I've really enjoyed your company today.” Cinders heart started beating fast again and he felt as if he was walking on clouds.  
“I’ve really enjoyed today as well.”  
“Will I see you again next week?” Dean asked gently. “We can meet at the road where I bumped into you.”  
Cinders stomach dropped; he really wanted to.  
“I’m sorry. We don’t make the trip to town often. Farmer Singer usually brings our supplies. Last time we came to town was weeks ago.”  
Dean’s face fell and he reluctantly gave the last of the groceries, looking saddened by the end of their meeting. Cinder turned to walk towards the coach.  
“Wait,” Dean said hurriedly behind him. “I don’t even know your name.”  
What should be an easy question to answer was pretty loaded for Cinder.  
“They call me Cinder.” He said softly, hating his nickname, longing to give his true name.  
Dean looked at him with determination.  
“What is your given name?” he pushed on.  
Cinder looked at the beautiful green-eyed man one last time. Chances are he was never going to see him again, so he uttered the name that hasn’t passed any lips in years.  
“My given name is Castiel.”  
Not waiting for Dean’s reaction, Cinder turned and almost ran to the carriage.  
His stepfamily wasn’t there yet and he stored the packages in it. Cinder didn’t have to wait on his stepfamily long.  
“Did you have a nice day?” Cinder asked, forcing a sad and bored expression on his face. Like he had been standing around, waiting for them for ages.  
“Oh, it was wonderful.” Naomi exclaimed.  
“Wait until we tell you what we discovered today,” Michael added.  
Lucifer said nothing but the smile on his face told Cinder he was happy about it as well.  
Naomi signalled the coachman to take them home. As they made the turn, Cinder looked out of the window and he thought he saw Dean standing by the side of the road, next to a blond woman. Before he could examine them more carefully the coach had turned completely and the people he saw were out of view.  
Cinder returned his attention to his stepfamily with feigned interest.  
“So, what’s the big news?”  
“Well...” Naomi began. “The Macleod’s invited us to tea. You know Crowley Macleod works in the castle as an advisor to the king.” Cinder highly doubted they were actually invited. They most likely invited themselves but he nodded dutifully.  
“Apparently the king’s oldest son has come of age and will be looking for a marriage soon. And the prince has told his father his preference doesn’t lie with women.” That wasn’t so odd. Lawrence was a very openminded kingdom in regards to same sex couples. Cinder’s father had told him this was because of a headstrong king ages ago that had held a preference for men as well. He had announced it to his subjects, changed the laws and invited others to be honest with themselves as well. At the time it had caused quite an uproar but now, years later everyone in Lawrence knew no different. In fact Cinder had been shocked to hear from his father that other kingdoms were quite opposed to it. The news of the prince's preferences was in fact no shock to Cinder but he was still confused why his stepfamily was so happy about it.  
“But doesn’t a prince have to marry royalty?” Cinder asked, voicing his puzzlement.  
“It is preferable in order to strengthen the kingdom, but it’s not against the law to marry a commoner. And since his younger brother already has a strong bond with the princess of Zaragosa, it looks more likely the crown prince will be able to choose who he marries. Lawrence is far more evolutionary than other kingdoms.”  
“And Mister Crowley told you all this?”  
Naomi frowned and her voice took on an edge.  
“Frustrated men talk too much. It’s Crowley’s job to find a match for the prince and he’s still old fashioned. He wants to find a royal suiter for the crown prince,” Naomi waved it off.  
“The king and queen are thinking of throwing a ball to find a suitable match.” Michael continued. “If the prince convinces them to invite commoners as well....”  
And there it was, the reason for all the excitement. If there was going to be a ball, Naomi would do anything in her power to throw her sons in front of the prince. Cinder examined his stepbrothers, both seemed happy with what they heard today. Cinder hadn’t known their preference lay with men as well.  
They arrived at their home and his stepfamily exited the coach to enter the house.  
“Oh, and Cinder dear, don’t forget to complete all your chores. Just because we went to town is no excuse to slack off.” Naomi said with a sneer before entering the house with her sons.  
Cinder sighed; it was going to be a long night. He took out his groceries and was reminded of Dean.  
Today had been wondrous and if a long night was the price, Cinder would gladly pay it.  
It was after he had put everything away when his eyes fell on one last package.  
Strange, he didn’t remember it. When he opened it, he gasped in awe. In it were fine clothes in the deepest blue he had ever seen. It was of high quality and felt soft to the touch.  
How had Dean done this? They had been together the whole time. Cinder briefly thought it was something Dean had with him before he bumped into him but taking the clothes out made clear they were his measurements. Dean was bigger than him and had broad shoulders, Cinder had more slender features.  
Cinder caressed the soft fabric and realized he was bewitched by a man he only met once. And didn’t mind it one bit.


End file.
